44 dead, over 300 injured: What has led to the current Israel-Palestine violence?

After three days of violence, which killed 44 Palestinians and injured over 300, a cease-fire has finally come into effect between Israel and Palestine.

The flare-up was the worst fighting between Israel and Palestine since Israel and Hamas fought an 11-day war last year. The cease-fire between the two sides was brokered by Egypt.

Israeli aircraft had pummeled targets in Gaza since Friday, while the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group fired hundreds of rockets at Israel in response, reported AP.

 

The attacks: Israel had launched what it called pre-emptive strikes on Friday against what it anticipated would be an Islamic Jihad attack meant to avenge the arrest of a leader of the group, Bassam al-Saadi, reported Reuters. In response, Islamic Jihad fired hundreds of rockets at Israel.

• After killing a major Islamic Jihad leader on Friday, An Israeli airstrike killed a second senior commander in the Palestinian militant group on Saturday. As Israel continued air attacks, Palestinian militants retaliated with barrages of rockets, most of which were either intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome or had fallen short of target.

• Israel said its Iron Dome interceptor shot down the rockets just west of the city. The military said others had fallen short, causing several Gaza fatalities, while Hamas said all the Palestinian deaths were caused by the Israeli strikes.
• Of the 44 Palestinians killed, almost half are civilians and also includes children, reported Reuters. The rocket attacks in Israel have sent residents in cities including Tel Aviv to shelters.

 

What led to the current Israel-Gaza flare-up? Even though clashes between Palestinian militant groups is not new, the reason the recent flare-up got so violent was because Israel killed two of Islamic Jihad's top commanders in targeted attacks, which led to the group firing rockets at Israeli cities.

• Israel launched its operation with a strike on Friday on a leader of the Islamic Jihad, and followed up on Saturday with another targeted strike on a second prominent leader.

• Palestinian militants retaliated with rockets fired toward Israel, triggering air raid sirens in Jerusalem The hundreds of rockets fired by Islamic Jihad in response is why the operation continues, said Israeli Justice Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday, reported AFP.

Islamic Jihad: While Hamas is the major Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad is the smaller one, but has been very active recently. The groups enjoys direct financial and military backing from Iran, and has become the driving force in engaging in rocket attacks on Israel, reported AP.

While Hamas has been silent in recent times as it has become more involved in politics and the day-to-day affairs in Gaza, Islamic Jihad, without any such responsibility, has been aggressive in its approach.

Like Hamas, Islamic Jihad is also sworn to Israel’s destruction.

Timeline of the recent violence:

August 5: Israel kills at least 10 people including a senior Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza. Islamic Jihad fires dozens of rockets into Israel in response.

August 6: Israel kills another Islamic Jihad leader as air strikes continue to pound Gaza. Islamic Jihad fires hundreds more rockets. People in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv go into shelters.

August 7: Rockets fired from Gaza reach as far as 5 km west of Jerusalem, signalling new range, reported Reuters. Tensions mount over Jewish visitors at the Al Aqsa mosque compound.

August 8: As death toll mounts to 44, Israel and Palestine agree to cease-fire after Egypt's intervention.